Skills Are Worthless Without Architecture

What you'll learn:

Skills-based hiring is everywhere — so why do so many skills initiatives stall within weeks? In this Millennium Live podcast, AJ Naddall, COO at JDXpert, explains why skills data is worthless without a job architecture underneath it. Drawing on JDXpert's survey of 225+ senior HR leaders, AJ shares why nearly 93% of organizations that successfully inventoried their skills are already planning a governance overhaul, what bad job architecture actually costs (roughly $6 million a year for a 5,000-person enterprise), and the one audit every HR leader should run before buying another skills platform.

Key Topics Include:

  • Why skills without architecture is just an expensive list — and where skills initiatives really go to die
  • What job architecture means in practice (job families, levels, career streams) and why barely half of HR leaders trust their own job and skills data
  • How AI replaces the two-year consulting engagement with architecture that stays current, improving career pathing, compensation, internal mobility, and retention

About the presenter(s)

AJ Naddell headshot

AJ Naddell

Senior Vice President, Product, JDXpert

AJ Naddell leads product strategy and innovation at JDXpert, leveraging his extensive background in software leadership across industries. With a focus on AI and SaaS, AJ has been instrumental in driving product growth at companies like IBM, Imageware, and TECH5. His expertise has resulted in successful product launches and transformative business outcomes.

AJ is known for fostering product excellence, aligning teams for success, and turning complex challenges into growth opportunities. He is committed to enhancing user experience and streamlining product development with innovative approaches.

AJ earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing) from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, playing tennis and pickleball, and is a classically trained trumpeter and orchestra conductor.